Charles Hugh Smith – In so many ways, the falcon can no longer hear the falconer. The phrase is drawn from William Butler Yeats’ poem, The Second Coming:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

The falcon can no longer hear the falconer describes our disintegrating era well.

The politicos can no longer hear the people they supposedly serve.

Concentrated wealth no longer heeds any falconer; it is free to exploit its power in the market and the halls of government.

Unconstrained by an inner falconer of integrity, many seek to game the system to maximize their private gain by any means available. Continue reading →